Abbott Laboratories intends to separate its Nutrition business into a public company

Abbott Laboratories said on October 21, 2026 that it intends to separate its Nutrition business into an independent, publicly traded company with approximately $8.5 billion in annual sales. The company said the separation would be a distribution of the new company's shares to Abbott shareholders. The company said the transaction is intended to qualify as a tax-free separation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Abbott Laboratories said Daniel Salvadori, executive vice president and group president, Established Pharmaceuticals and Nutritional Products, will become chief executive officer of the new Nutrition company. Salvadori joined Abbott in 2014 and was appointed to his current position in 2021.

The company said the new Nutrition company will have about 16,000 employees, 14 manufacturing sites and brands including Similac, PediaSure, Pedialyte, Glucerna and Ensure. Abbott Laboratories said it will have sales of approximately $42 billion and about 106,000 employees after the separation, with positions in cardiovascular and neuromodulation devices, diagnostics and established medicines.

The company said the separation will not affect its guidance for 2026 or the 2027 guidance it plans to provide in January. It expects to incur one-time charges related to the transaction during the periods before the separation, to be quantified at a later date. The company said the Nutrition business will continue to operate as part of Abbott throughout the separation process.